


A Child's Love

by EverTheDreamer



Category: Sweeney Todd - Sondheim/Wheeler
Genre: Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-15
Updated: 2011-07-13
Packaged: 2017-10-18 01:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/183408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverTheDreamer/pseuds/EverTheDreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Toby's getting older. Mrs. Lovett can't pretend it's not true. And boys that age? They have needs and desires. She fears, though, that her adoptive son has set his sights on her. Revival verse. Based on Patti LuPone's Mrs. Lovett from the 2005 Revival.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Mrs. Lovett's eyes blinked open in the darkness as her bedroom door creaked open.

"Toby, dear? Ya 'ave a bad dream again, love?" She threw down a corner of her blanket, scooting over in her bed. "Climb in, then, dear."

The bed groaned under the added weight.

"That's a good lad, go back to sleep," she yawned, closing her eyes again.

Her eyes darted open almost immediately in the pitch-black of the room. She felt fingers trailing up her thigh and kisses on her neck.

"Toby? 'Chu think yer doin'?" she swatted the hands that had begun gravitating towards her breasts and pulled away from the hot, warm lips at her neck.

Mrs. Lovett felt the fingers dart under her nightgown and scratch the bare skin of her thigh as the mouth nipped at her collarbone. The fingers trailed upward, scratching the sensitive skin of her full breasts. She moaned deep in her throat.

Her voice shook when she spoke again, "Toby, I said no."

 _Boy's barely sixteen!_ she scolded herself, angry that her body was betraying her by responding to the touch. _It couldn't be right! I'm supposed to be his mum!_

The hot mouth was kissing her neck again, sucking at her collarbone. Mrs. Lovett groaned despite herself, her hands gripping the headboard as the fingers deftly worked the ties on her nightgown.

 _No!_

"Toby, please," she begged, her voice thick with desire. "Please, please stop. Don't do something we'll both regret. It wouldn't be ri-"

The mouth crashed down on hers, cutting her off mid-sentence. The tongue tracing her bottom lip as the fingers tweaked her nipples.

She moaned into the kiss, arching into the touch.

When the mouth finally left hers, she was struggling to catch her breath. And control of the situation.

"Damn it, Toby," she panted. "I said stop." Tears stung behind her eyes. _I can't believe I'm taking advantage of the boy like this!_

She rolled away from the seductive touch and kisses. She stood beside the bed, her body screaming in protest.

"Please," Mrs. Lovett choked out. "Please just go back to yer room. Please, Toby? Please. I can't… This isn't right!" Tears spilled down her cheeks as she fought her body's desires.

 _He's just a boy! And he's_ my _boy. My Toby! I can't do this!_

The hand found her wrist in the dark and pulled her back to the bed, the mattress creaking. The mouth was on her neck again, sucking gently.

Her eyes fluttered close as she tilted her head back, her body fully betraying her. She moaned again, her full lips parting.

The bed groaned again as the weight shifted and a body pinned her to the bed. The fingers danced across her suddenly bare breasts as the mouth found her earlobe and bit playfully.

Mrs. Lovett moaned, her hands reaching for the headboard.

"Toby, no," she groaned, trying still to do the right thing even as her body continued it's betrayal, her legs spreading.

The breath was hot in her ear. "Mum," it mocked.

"Mr. T! Oh thank the bloody Lord!"

Sweeney nipped at Mrs. Lovett's neck lightly, ignoring her sigh of relief.

"That inexperienced brat wouldn't have known how to touch you like this," Sweeney scoffed, kissing down her neck back to her milky white breasts.

He tugged at her erect nipple with his teeth, rolling the other between his fingers.

Mrs. Lovett moaned, gripping the headboard with one hand as the other tangled in Sweeney's thick hair. "Oh, Mr. Todd…"

He bit her neck as he entered her, making her gasp in pleasure.

She spread her legs wider, giving him more room to thrust deeper. Her lips bucked in time with his as she screamed, completely surrendering to her body's carnal desires now that she knew it wasn't her Toby that she was surrendering to.

Her moans drowned out his groans of pleasure entirely as they both reached a shuddering climax.

"Would you have let him have his way with you, Mrs. Lovett?" Sweeney demanded after their breathing had slowed and returned to normal. She looked at him, confusion etched on her features. "They boy. You let me touch you when you thought I was him."

"I didn't exactly 'let' you. I asked 'Toby' to stop. I tried to pull away." Mrs. Lovett argued, though she couldn't deny that she had just been asking herself the same question.

"And then you spread your legs for 'him.' So, you didn't exactly stop it, did you? You didn't keep 'him' from touching you," he said, voicing her thoughts for the second time.

"Toby doesn't look at me that way. 'E never would 'ave tried this," Mrs. Lovett answered, trying to ignore the fact that she had done just what Sweeney said. "Besides, Toby would have stopped if I asked 'im to. Not that it matters, cause 'e don't think o' me that way."

"Then why did you think it was him?"

"'E doesn't think o' me that way," she repeated, dodging the question. "'E calls me 'is mum."

"I could call you 'mum,' too. Doesn't change a man's desires."

"'E's just a boy!"

"He's sixteen. And he's been looking at you. We both know it," Sweeney retorted.

"'E 'as not!"

"Then why did you think it was him?" Sweeney repeated calmly.

Mrs. Lovett faltered. "I… You… 'E…"

"Boys Toby's age don't run to their mum when they have bad dreams, pet. When he runs to you with a 'bad dream,' he just wants you to hold him close, he wants you to press you body to his."

She was at a complete loss for words. _Not my Toby!_

"Remember what I said," Sweeney told her, rolling off of her and padding from the room.

In his room, Toby was sitting straight up in bed, his mum's voice having woken him.

Truth be told, he hadn't ever looked at her "like that." He had never thought of her as a woman, let alone a sexual being…

Not till he woke up to the sound of her moans and screams of pleasure though the paper-thin walls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby was completely unable to meet Mrs. Lovett's eyes for several days following Sweeney's "little show." In fact, as they entered the fifth day after the "event," he began a phase in which he refused to even be in the same room as him mum for longer than a few moments.

Toby was completely unable to meet Mrs. Lovett's eyes for several days following Sweeney's "little show." In fact, as they entered the fifth day after the "event," he began a phase in which he refused to even be in the same room as him mum for longer than a few moments.

Long ago were the days in which he allowed Mrs. Lovett to hug him close or even ruffle his hair.

Noticing Toby's escalating strange behavior, Mrs. Lovett couldn't help but confront her adopted son. She cornered the boy as he gathered the dishes after the lunch rush, sneaking up behind him.

"Wot's wrong wit' chu, dear?"

Toby stiffened, hearing her behind him. He stared at the piecrust on the plate in his hands, answering too quickly, "Nothing.'"

Mrs. Lovett continued to look at the boy, disbelief plastered on her features. He could feel her eyes bearing into him, could feel her breath on his neck.

Mrs. Lovett shook her head, forcing Toby into the booth before sliding in beside him. "'Onestly, love! Yeh 'ave been actin' a bit off fer nearly a week, love. Did ya 'ave an unsettin' dream? Wot is it that's got ya in this state?"

"Nothing," Toby repeated, trying to squirm away as Mrs. Lovett pulled him into a hug.

"Ya used ter love when we'd sit together. Now ya won't even look at me! Tell yer mum why yer all upset. Toby, please?"

Toby shook his head, unable to stop the assault of the memory from so few nights before. Those exact words moaned though the paper-thin walls. His name slipping from her full lips, "Toby, please?"

"No! Nothin'!" he all but yelled. He took advantage of her shock and pulled out of her grasp, escaping over the back of the booth and into his own room.

"Toby?" Mrs. Lovett called after the boy. "Oh, bugger."

Sweeney smirked from the doorway, "I told you."

"Wot the bloody 'ell are ya on about?" she napped, irritated.

"How long has 'your boy' been upset, pet?" Sweeney asked calmly, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"A few days," Mrs. Lovett shrugged, her irritability growing as she watched the thoroughly-enjoyed Sweeney.

"How many?" he repeated, already knowing.

"Four. Maybe five?" she answered, still not understanding.

"Five days? You remember what happened five night ago?" Sweeney asked pointedly.

Mrs. Lovett started to shake her head, assuming he was referring to an even that expressly included Toby. "I miss 'is birthday?"

"No, you daft woman. Think!"

She stared back, my mind sifting through memories of the boy for a clue.

"Let me give you a hint," Sweeney offered, crossing to her. He bent slightly to whisper mockingly in her ear, "'You have a bad dream again, Toby, love?' 'Toby, please?' 'Oh, Mr. Todd!'"

Mrs. Lovett's eyes widened, the realization slapping her in the face. "Ya think 'e 'eard?"

"Well, you do tend to be quite loud," he smiled into her dark tresses.

"It's not funny!" she scolded, hearing the smile in his voice. "We may've scarred 'im fer life! Can ya imagine… 'Earin' 'is mum 'avin sex…"

"The boy's not acting this way cause he's 'scarred.' He's jealous, pet."

"Not this again," Mrs. Lovett sighed. "Fer the last time, me Toby don't look at me like that!"

"Really? Then why is he avoiding you?"

"As ya just pointed out, 'I'm loud.' 'E 'eard us! Poor thing's embarrassed!" she hissed.

"He's not embarrassed, pet," Sweeney responded, pulling her from the booth and leading her in a waltz.

"Then wot?" Mrs. Lovett asked, her mind shutting down the instant Sweeney wrapped her in his arms.

"He's pissed."

"Why?" she asked, fighting not to melt entirely. She hated to even think it, but the whole Toby situation wasn't important when Sweeney was leading her around the room with a hand on her waist.

Sweeney pushed her suddenly against the brick, a razor's cold blade against her flushed neck. Mrs. Lovett gasped and whimpered, fear flooding her.

"Mr. T?" she choked out, her erratic shallow breathing causing the razor to bite at her throat. Her hands were on the arm holding her in place.

Just as suddenly, Sweeney's mouth crashed against hers. The razor was still at her neck making small cuts where traces of blood could be seen.

Despite the razor at her neck, Mrs. Lovett kissed him back hungrily, her fingers entwining in his wild hair, pulling him close. She ignored the hot stinging in her neck as she parted her lips and deepened the kiss.

Sweeney's free hand moved downward from his landlady's shoulder to trace her full curves, resting on her hips.

Finally, Sweeney pulled away, taking a single step backward and lowering the razor. "Because I can do that."

"Wot?" Mrs. Lovett breathed, one hand drawn to her neck subconsciously to inspect the damage as the other reached out for Sweeney.

"That's thy the lad's so upset. It's cause I can do that and he can't. Cause I beat him to it."

"Wot? Yer back on that again?" she demanded, her senses of logic slowly returning now that Sweeney wasn't pressing her against him. "I told ya, 'e don't want me like that! 'E just wants me as a mum."

"Prove it," Sweeney said simply.

"Wot? Ya mean ask 'im, right out?"

"Course not. Flirt with him. Make it sound like you're willing and available. See if he takes you up on that offer," Sweeney answered calmly.

"Ya outta wot's left o' yer mind?" Mrs. Lovett hissed. "Ya make me sound like a common streetwalker!"

Sweeney's eyes flashed dangerously at her first statement and Mrs. Lovett feared the razor would be at her neck again, cutting deeper this time, but he tucked his precious razor back into his belt.

"Well, you're not gonna like the other way of finding out," he responded, that dangerous glint still in his eyes.

"Wot? Wot is it?" she asked, curiosity peaked. "Tell me."

"I'd have to show you," he breathed into her ear, taking her back into his arms.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Mrs. Lovett knew she should be very wary. Dancing with this man always landed her in various stages of trouble. That gleam in his eyes… She knew it so well by now. It often preceded her being pressed to the nearest wall with his razor against her throat. But when Sweeney had her in his arms, holding her to him, she always forgot to be careful.

He was leading her in a waltz again, out of the main shop, through the parlor.

To the bedroom? Mrs. Lovett hoped thoughtfully, the subject of Toby's supposed jealousy and Sweeney's plan to expose it fleeing her mind.

Sweeney pressed her to the wall between her and Toby's door. Mrs. Lovett's breath catching as she feared the razor's bite again.

Instead, she felt feather light kisses landing on her neck. Her eyes fluttered close as Sweeney sucked gently on her collarbone, his fingers caressing her curves. A soft moan escaped her parting lips.

Sweeney reached beside Mrs. Lovett swiftly to open the boy's door.

Toby was desperately clutching his ears, shaking his head.

"Mister Todd," Mrs. Lovett breathed, her head tilting backwards.

The boy shook his head again, violently. "No. No!" He kicked desperately at the wall, hoping to drown out the noise.

Sweeney pulled away suddenly, spinning a flushed Mrs. Lovett to face her adopted son. "Do you see?"


	3. A Child's Love Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett breathed, waking with a start as her bedroom door clicked closed. Her eyes searched the darkness of the room as she pulled her blanket to her chin.

"Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett breathed, waking with a start as her bedroom door clicked closed. Her eyes searched the darkness of the room as she pulled her blanket to her chin.

"Mr. Todd?" she repeated.

 _It can't be Toby. Can't be. The both of us have avoided each other like the plague since Sweeney created that woefully awkward situation._ She recalled painfully as she had eyed Toby's obvious desire for her bulging at the front of his too-small pants before she had fled into her bedroom and shut the door.

She heard him relieving himself of his desire not long after and she assumed he thought he was being quiet. But her name had escaped his mouth, had floated though the walls. _Oh,_ _Mrs. Lovett! Mum!_

Oh, what that had done to her! She'd felt so guilty. All because she couldn't help but put on a show for her beloved Sweeney. Now her adoptive son looked at her, thought of her when he… She shuddered at the memory.

The bed creaked as weight was added and she wondered idly why Sweeney never announced himself when he would come to visit her at night.

He pulled the cover from her chin and off her body before his mouth greedily descending on hers, his hand caressing her as it slid up her thigh.

Mrs. Lovett's eyes fluttered close as he trailed feather-light kisses down her jaw line to suck gently on her pulse-point.

"Oh, Mr. Todd," she moaned lightly, earning a slight nip in response.

She felt his fingers tugging at her nightgown's strings and she eagerly helped him, pulling the gown over her head. She was rewarded with his hot mouth being replaced on her skin, sucking and kissing a trail from her jaw line once more.

"Please," she begged, pulling one of his hands to her breast and leading the other between her thighs. From this little contact, she felt the familiar burning between her thighs and she knew his touch would make it burn out faster.

She gasped in pleasure when she felt him slip a finger into her, rubbing slow circles.

Mrs. Lovett bit her lip, stifling a groan of pleasure - _For Toby's sake, don't want the lad to wake up to me moaning again_ \- as his finger grazed her clit.

Panting, she arched under the touch. His mouth sucking below her earlobe that way, his fingers scratching at her nipples and the way he kept just barely touching her clitoris. She whimpered, pleading.

"Don't-tease-love," she panted, leaning to capture his mouth in a kiss. He kissed her passionately, forcing her back into her pillows.

She moaned thickly into the kiss as he added a second finger and began circling her clitoris.

"Fuck! Oh, Mr. Todd! I need you, now," Mrs. Lovett whispered, her voice thick, almost another moan. "Oh! Please, love!"

The bed creaked as he pulled her astride him, entering her in one swift moment causing a moan to escape her full lips.

"Quiet, love," she heard below her cries of ecstasy as she found the headboard and began rocking gently.

His hands were on her backside, gently guiding her movements, as he took one of her nipples in his mouth.

"Fuck! Oh, love!" she moaned, throwing her head back. She forced herself down further, taking all of him in.

Mrs. Lovett felt him freeze beneath her as she continued riding him, her full breasts bouncing against his chest.

"Not yet," he whispered, begging, into her chest.

"Wot-is-it-love?" she panted, one hand leaving the headboard to caress his cheek. "Not-wot-yet?"

"Oh!" she cried when he flipped them over.

He held her thigh, caressing it, as his lips crashed against hers, effectively silencing her.

Surprising her, he pulled out and pushed his fingers into her again.

She was about to protest when he pushed gently against her clit. "Oh! Mmnnm, oh, love!" she turned her head and moaned loudly into her pillow, her hips bucking against his fingers.

She reached up and pulled him close to her, kissing every inch of his skin she could reach as she writhed.

"More," she begged, kissing his chest before falling heavily into her pillows. "Please, love. I need you. Inside me."

She felt him gingerly enter him and she grinded her hips against him, panting.

"I love you," he breathed against her neck as she wrapped her leg around his waist and pulled him closer. Her walls contracted as she moved her hips in time with his.

A second later, he released into her. "Mrs. Lovett!" he moaned softly, collapsing on top of her.

Mrs. Lovett gripped fistfuls of her pillows as she struggled to keep her moan from escaping. "Oh, God!" she cried loudly as she climaxed. _I love you, too, Mr. Todd!_

It wasn't until her erratic breathing had calmed that she noticed the man on top of her was crying softly into her breasts. She kissed his sweat-covered forehead gently, "Wot is it, love?" She caressed his cheek again.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lovett. So sorry!"

His body shook as he sobbed and Mrs. Lovett clamped her eyes shut as a wave of pleasure rolled through her so soon after her orgasm.

"Mr. T, unless yer ready for another go, yer gonna need to stop moving that way, love," Mrs. Lovett forced out, her fingers wrapping themselves in the pillows again.

He kissed her neck as his tears splashed cool against her hot skin.

"Love, wot on earth is wrong?" she forced herself to ask, her head tilting further into her pillows as he sucked gently.

The vibrations of his voice against her neck made shivers run down her spine. "I'm sorry, so sorry," he repeated.

Then her hands were on him again. She trailed a path lightly down to their joined bodies where she took him in her hand and stroked gently, feeling him quickly harden. "Sorry for what, love?" she purred.

He licked her neck, tasting his salty tears along with something that was so distinctly her. His fingers were at her breasts again, pressing scratching, cupping. Mrs. Lovett moaned lightly, her fingers gripping tighter and making his breath catch.

"I shouldn't be in here, shouldn't be doing this," he whispered before sucking her pulse point again.

Mrs. Lovett gasped in response, arching into him as her fingers began to move faster on him.

"Not yet," he said again.

She ignored him, grinding her hips up and taking all of him in unexpectedly, her fingers grazing her clitoris as she did so. She moaned, pressing against herself with her fingers and using her other hand to tease what little of him wasn't already inside her.

Her breathing was labored and she heard him cry out before biting into her neck. Soon, too soon, she was panting, writhing, and bucking beneath him.

"Oh, God!" she moaned, practically screaming. She pressed harder against her clitoris as she felt him explode within her with a strangled, unintelligible groan. "Mmnnm…"

She shivered violently, her walls clenching deliciously around him as both their voices lifted in joint cries of ecstasy.

When their breathing had slowed to normal as they both recovered from their orgasms, he rolled off of her and snuggled closely.

"Are ya gonna tell me wot's wrong?" Mrs. Lovett asked, her eyes already closing as she began dozing happily, satisfied.

His head was pillowed by her breasts and he slung an arm across her stomach. "I'm sorry, mum," he whispered into her bosom.

Her eyes flew open as what he said hit her. "What?" she gasped.

"Said I's sorry," he repeated, dozing.

She bit her lip, not wanting to believe what she had heard. Tears pooled in her eyes and slid into her ears.

 _No. It's not possible. No, no, no, no, no…_

"Toby?" she breathed, praying Mr. Todd would snort his response.

"Mm?" he asked, hugging her closely.

 _No!_

She rolled away from him as tears streamed down her cheeks. Pulling the blanket around her body, she flicked the light switch on.

"What is it, mum?" Toby asked, blinking against the sudden light as he sat up.

Wide-eyed, Mrs. Lovett stumbled from her bedroom, not able to believe what had just happened.

 _Toby!_ My _Toby! And me! Oh, God… He was inside me. He was… And I…_

Her head was reeling as she stumbled into the parlor and the arms of Sweeney Todd.


	4. A Child's Love Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "What is it, pet?" Sweeney whispered soothingly, wrapping her in his arms.

"What is it, pet?" Sweeney whispered soothingly, wrapping her in his arms.

Mrs. Lovett shook her head as her tears soaked his shirt. _'E'll kill Toby if I tell him. I can't let 'im kill me Toby! It don't matter wot's 'appened, Toby's me boy and I can't let Mister Todd 'urt 'im._

"What is it?" he repeated, running the fingers of one hand through her short, dark tresses, mussed from her earlier activities.

"No-Nothin', Mister T. Everythin's fine, love."

"Mrs. Lovett," his voice was too sweet. "I heard you."

"I-I-" she stuttered, her mind searching for a believable lie. "I was thinking' o' you, love. An' I got a bit carried away."

She prayed he wouldn't push the fact, that Toby wouldn't choose this moment to come out of her room.

His fingers were digging into her back, pulling her close so he could breathe in her ear. His voice was low, threatening, "Why are you crying?"

"Mum?"

 _Bugger._

"Toby walked in on me as I was… Finishing," she lied, not risking a look at his face. "I'm cryin' cause I'm embarrassed. It's a terribly awkward situation as it is an' that jus' made it worse, it did."

"Mum? 'Smatter?"

"Nothin, Toby. Jus'-Go to bed, love," Mrs. Lovett shouted, her voice slightly muffled in the barber's shirt.

"You're lying," Sweeney breathed, his breath scalding her ear as he gripped fistfuls of the sheet she had wrapped herself in.

"Am not. That's wot 'appened, it is." She wiped at her tears before trying to pull away, clutching the sheet tighter against her chest.

"Toby! Come here, lad!"

"No, stay where you are, love. Go to sleep!" she repeated, turning her head from Sweeney's chest. She couldn't let Sweeney see the evidence of what had just happened. He'd kill Toby. And she couldn't let that happen.

Sweeney growled, "I said, 'Come here!'" His grip on her tightened suddenly making her cry out in pain and shock.

"Mum?" Toby rushed into the room, a blanket wrapped around his waist as his eyes whipped around the room wildly. "Mum, did 'e 'urt you?" One hand was holding his blanket in place and the other rested on the small of her back

"Walked in on you, Mrs. Lovett?" the barber ground out, his fingers reaching for his silver friend.

"No, Mister T, ya don't understand!" She felt the cold blade press against her skin and instinctively held her breath, her eyes snapping closed as Sweeney pushed past the boy to press her to wall.

"No! Mum! You let her go!" Toby was tugging at Sweeney's sleeve insistently as the barber's free hand trailed down her side to press against her waist.

"He walked in on you? Saw you finish as you thought of me, Mrs. Lovett?" Sweeney spat out before moving close to breathe in her ear. "Did you think of me while you let the boy _fuck_ you?"

"Please, Mister T," she begged, her voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers closed around his wrist, trying to push the razor away.

"Did you?" he demanded.

"I said you let 'er alone!"

Sweeney swiftly backhanded the boy across the cheek before bringing his focus back to Mrs. Lovett. "I asked you if you thought of me while you let the boy _fuck_ you, Mrs. Lovett. Answer me!"

"That's a dirty word! That's not wot we did!" Toby answered firmly, getting up. "That may be wot you do when yer wit' 'er, but she an' I? We didn't do that! We made love!"

Sweeney's free hand had left her hips and was pressing against her lower stomach, flitting across the edge of the sheet. He brought his face close to hers, sneering as he pressed the cool blade against her hot skin and she tilted her head back instinctively to escape the razor's bite.

His voice was low again, dangerous. "Is that what you did, Nellie? Did you and the boy 'make love?' Did the boy 'make love' to you?"

"Yes, I did!" he answered. "And me name's Toby, not 'boy.'"

Mrs. Lovett's breath caught as the barber's fingers skirted under the sheet to dance across the dark curls between her thighs, her eyes fluttering as she forced them open. His touch was always so dark, so seductive.

"Tell 'im, mum! Tell 'im wot you told me. Tell 'im you love me."

"Yes, Nellie, tell me. Tell me what you want. Do you want the boy to make love to you right now? Or do you want me to fuck you with my fingers while the boy stands there and watches?" He slid a single finger into her, her velvety heat coating his fingers as she whimpered.

"Please," she begged, biting her lip. She felt her knees turning to jelly as her barber touched her. He planted a soft kiss below her ear, his breath scalding once more.

Toby was at her other ear, his fingers curling on her shoulder. "I love you, mum. Tell 'im you love me an' 'e'll leave us be."

She was panting now. It was all too much, Toby's sweet kisses on one shoulder and Todd's vicious bites on the other as he slid another skilled finger into her. "I-I-mmmnnmnm." She wrapped the fingers of one hand in Toby's short hair, guiding his feather-light kisses to her pulse point, as the fingers of her other hand tightened in the sheet she was holding to her breasts.

Sweeney added a third finger, stretching her as he began working his fingers faster between her thighs, the heel of his hand grinding against her still sensitive clit.

"Oh! Fu-Oh, Gods!" she moaned, her fingers tightening in Toby's hair as she guided his kisses lower. She dropped the sheet as Toby kissed the top of one breast.

Sweeney's attention also dipped lower. He bit her full breast lightly before grazing the hard bud of her nipple with his teeth. He nicked her pale neck with the blade before licking the path of blood away and biting her breast again.

"Oh! Ah!" she lowered her now-free hand between her thighs to press against the heel of Sweeney's hand.

"Do you want it rough, Nellie?" the barber asked, pushing his fingers into her roughly as he added a fourth finger. She moaned in response, her head lolling back. "Or gentle?" he slowed his fingers, moving them in and out of her gently and carefully. Her hand left his to rest on his shoulder, her nails digging into his skin.

Toby kissed a path back up her jaw line as his fingers replaced his lips on her breast, massaging gently. He sucked below her earlobe before whispering, "Tell 'im, Mrs. Lovett. Tell 'im ya want it gentle, that ya want ta make love, like a lady."

Mrs. Lovett couldn't answer, could barely breathe as pleasure rolled through her body, flooding her senses, all of her nerve endings firing and exploding at once. "Mmmnmnm… Tob-Oh! Mistah-Oh, God!" Her whole body pounded and shook as she gripped both Toby and Sweeney, leaning heavily against the flimsy wall of the parlor to stay upright as she climaxed.

Sweeney licked a hot trail where he had cut her with the razor. He removed two fingers but continued to move the other two slowly and deliberately inside her.

Her breathing hitched again when she felt Toby's hand leave her breast to glide down her stomach before filling the space Sweeney had left.

"Oh, God," she crooned, her back arching as the men chose two different paces; Sweeney's escalating roughly again as Toby continued the slow, gentle pace Sweeney had abandoned.

"You never answered, pet," Sweeney breathed before biting into her shoulder.

"Tell 'im," Toby sucked gently at the skin where her neck and shoulder met.

She didn't answer, she couldn't form words and didn't know which she'd chose at this point. All she could focus on were the mouths, the tongues, the lips of her Sweeney and her Tobias. All she could feel was the radically different paces of their fingers inside her, filling her. She moaned, crying out in ecstasy.

"Answer, you dirty slut. You like this, don't you, you filth? Being fucked senseless by us both?"

"I love you, Mrs. Lovett. I love you, I love you."

She knew it was wrong, that only whores take more than one man at once, that it was her Toby and he was just a boy. She knew, but she didn't care, couldn't care. Sweeney was right. She loved it. She loved the fullness, the sense of being wanted and loved and desired. She felt like a whore. A dirty, filthy slut.

One of them, she didn't know which, pressed his thumb against her clit again and with that, she was off and flying. She screamed loudly in pleasure, her lungs pained and overworked, as she came hard against their hands.

Mrs. Lovett vaguely registered them pulling their fingers from her before she slumped to the floor where her sheet had pooled around her feet, panting in exhaustion. She dimly heard feet stomping out of the parlor and into the main shop as her fiery body was pulled into an equally warm embrace, her head cushioned by a strong chest. She felt someone pull the sheet across her naked, sweat-glistening form as she quickly succumbed to sleep.


	5. A Child's Love Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Lovett woke up instantly knowing something was wrong.

Mrs. Lovett woke up instantly knowing something was wrong.

It wasn't that she could feel the nicks on her neck or that the area between her thighs was tender and sore-no, that was hardly a foreign occurrence. Sweeney was a harsh lover, often very rough with her. She was not unaccustomed to waking with vicious cuts and violent bruises from her nights of passion with Sweeney.

No, what tipped her off was the warm body that was holding her, cradling her as though she were something precious-something that needed, and was worth, protecting- as he ran his fingers through her short, black tresses. She felt one arm wrapped securely around her middle, angled so that he could continue combing his fingers through her silken locks, and the other hand was resting lightly on her waist, gently caressing her skin with his thumb. One of her own arms was pulled against her breasts and the other was sprawled across the man's hard chest. The same alabaster chest that pillowed her head as stray locks of her hair fell across her eyes and shielded his face from her vision.

Her eyes fluttered open under the cover of her hair as she fought to remember what had happened the night before. She didn't remember falling asleep so entangled with Mister Todd… But she also didn't remember falling asleep on the floor and the surface she was laying on was definitely the hard wood of the parlor-and the hard chest of who she could only assume was Mister T.

Mrs. Lovett grinned naughtily against his hard chest, Mister Todd's uncharacteristic attentive interest making her feel frisky even as her body continued slowly waking up. She turned her head just slightly so that she could properly kiss the pale skin. Opening her mouth wide, she flicked her tongue out, caressing, before covering the area in hot kisses and taking playful nips. He groaned quietly beneath her and she could feel his pulse racing as she opened her mouth wider to run her tongue across his skin again.

Her hand slowly moved down his chest, her palm both tickling and arousing at the same time as it made its way to his hardening shaft. Her kisses, too, began trailing downward, following her hand's cruel pace. His hips bucked against her fingers when she closed them around his length, but she was still too preoccupied in lavishing his flat stomach in hot kisses to notice his callused fingers delicately brush her dark hair out of her eyes. He pulled her back, pulling her hand from him as well, before pressing his lips to her full ones in a loving kiss.

Her chocolate brown eyes bulged with shock when she saw that it was Toby kissing her and not Mister Todd. He gently laid her down, his tongue eagerly searching her mouth as he held himself above her. He broke the kiss to begin kissing down her neck, leaving a hot, wet trail as he worshipped her pale throat and full breasts.

"Toby!" she gasped, sitting up and trying to wriggle away as she reached for the sheet to cover herself.

He pressed another sweet kiss to her neck, sucking lightly as his arm snaked around her waist to pull her chest to his. "Yes, mum?"

"Oh, bloody 'ell!" she cried, pushing him from her as she wrapped herself in the sheet as best she could while still sitting down. "Toby, wot in 'ell is goin' on 'ere? Why was I layin' wit' ya when I was naked?"

"Don't ya 'member, mum? We made love last night," Toby smiled, his happiness at the fact evident as he looked at her, love and adoration shining in his eyes.

"We did wot?" her eyes going, if possible, even wider. "But… No! We couldn't 'ave! Ya-I-No!" She shook her head, denying it even as it seemed the most obvious conclusion.

"Course we did. Then yer Mister Todd went an' ruined it," he scowled, clearly upset that the memory of Mister Todd would be interwoven with that of their "first time." "'E's the reason ya got them cuts on yer neck, 'e is. 'E was mad when 'e found out 'bout us, 'e was. But 'e left, mum. 'E stormed upstairs aftah ya fell ta the floor an' I stayed wit' ya all night, I did. I stayed ta keep ya warm an' ta protect ya from 'im."

Toby leaned close to her again as she sat, stunned, and processed the information. He picked up her free hand, kissing her palm before trailing light kisses up her arm to her shoulder and then to her neck. With just the tips of his fingers, he brushed her raven tresses behind her ear before kissing the newly exposed, soft, pale skin. Her eyes fluttered close in response, her head tilting to give him better access.

"…No," Mrs. Lovett breathed, her mind still struggling with what Toby had told her even as her body moved to accommodate his. She forced herself to swallow, her mouth suddenly very dry. Everything was feeling incredibly surreal. She could feel the struggle within herself: her mind telling her it wasn't right- even as memories of the night before trickled back- and her body giving in to Toby's sweet caresses-so desperate for tenderness.

"No," she repeated, her voice barely audible.

But she didn't push Toby away as he began gently laying her down, his tongue gliding over the racing vein in her neck before he placed a gently kiss over it. He hovered over her, afraid of hurting her by putting his weight on her, as continued covering her pale skin in feather-light kisses. One of his hands went to her breast, gently kneading the flesh and making soft moans slip through her lips, as his other continued combing through her hair. He brushed his thumb over the swell of her plump lips- marveling when she parted them and kissed the pad of his thumb, her tongue caressing his skin and making him groan. He could feel her nipple, taut and pressing into his palm as he worked her supple flesh, with each heaving breath she took.

 _It's not right! 'E's my boy, me littl' Toby! I can't take advantage of 'im like this!_

She whimpered, her back arching as her body searched for skin-to-skin contact, and her fingers curled in his mop of brown hair to guide his mouth back to hers. "Toby," she breathed against his lips, the fingers of one hand desperately entangled in his hair as she caressed his cheek with her free hand. "Toby, we _can't_ , love." But even as she told him this, she was hungrily pulling his mouth to her own.

"Mrs. Lovett," he whispered when she broke the kiss to gasp for air. Toby slowly maneuvered himself between her thighs, gently sucking at her neck again as she panted beneath him. "I love ya." He entered her slowly, making her whimper quietly as her nails dug into his shoulders.

 _Yer a whore, Nellie. 'Avin' sex wit' a young boy, yer Toby ta boot! Ya oughta be ashamed o' yerself!_ she told herself. But her body betrayed her, her legs spreading to accommodate him as her body adjusted to his length. His erection pressed heavily against her g-spot and she bit her lower lip to stifle a moan.

"Toby," she moaned. "No! Oh, God… Toby, pl-Please!"

She didn't know what she was begging for, him to move inside her or to stop this insanity.

She gasped when he started moving, deliciously slow as though he was still terrified to hurt her. He was still kissing and sucking at her neck as he tactilely explored her breast in the dim light. He constantly looked up at her, watching her expressions to make sure she wasn't in pain. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted as she groaned, but her features were from pained.

Mrs. Lovett whimpered again, his touch making her body pound and she couldn't help but purr as his fingers gently kneaded her breast and his tongue and lips tickled her neck. _'E's just a boy!_ she scolded herself. But he continued pumping into her, his length plunging deeper and stretching her so that it was almost painful. Almost And she didn't stop him.

"Toby!" she whimpered again, tears in her eyes as her body continued reacting to him. _It's not right!_ Her legs wrapped themselves around his waist, clenching around him and drawing him deeper. "Ahh-Oh!"

Her body was squeezing around him as he swelled inside her.

"Mmnmmm, Toby!" she moaned, her hips bucking as she tried to take in more of him, almost trying to punish herself with the pain.

Toby kissed the corner of her mouth and she surprised herself by turning so he was kissing her full on the lips, parting her own full ones to invite his tongue into her mouth. "Mrs. Lovett? Wot's wrong?"

"Kiss me," she pleaded, tears swimming her soft chocolate eyes. Waves of liquid pleasure were pulsing through her veins, emanating from her core.

He conceded, pressing his lips to hers as her muscles began contracting around him. She squeezed him between her thighs, still trying to punish herself with pain. But he was far from rough with her. He took her slowly and tenderly, not roughly or hurried.

Mrs. Lovett opened her eyes to see Toby, her adoptive son, her own little boy, panting above her even as promising white lights began to infringe on her vision. He collapsed on top of her, kissing her neck where Sweeney had cut her and whispering his promises of love. The skin-to-skin contact was delicious, driving her closer to the edge.

"Mum!" he cried, spilling into her.

 _'E called ya Mum. 'E sees ya as a mother an' you're takin' advantage o' 'im, Nellie, she was telling herself. But… But 'e loves ya- really loves ya- which is more than ya've ever gotten from Mister Todd. 'E loves you, sees you when 'e's making love ta ya, wants ta protect ya. 'E loves ya… And you're takin' advantage o' 'im, o' yer Toby. Yer scum, Nellie. A filthy, dirty whore from the gutters the prostitutes 'ang out by._

She crooned when he moved his fingers between their bodies to inexpertly press against her clit. She was sweating and panting, heat surging and pumping through her veins and she knew she was close-knew that she should stop, should've stopped, this. But she was too far gone now, her body screaming and pleading for the release that was just swimming out of reach but getting closer every second.

"Toby!" she cried out, her voice desperate and lost between a moan and a sob as she climaxed beneath him.

"Wot is it? Wot's wrong, mum?" he asked her, instantly concerned even as he was panting for each breath.

"Shhh," she cooed, hugging him close. "Shhh, it ain't nothin', my dear, sweet boy. Ain't nothin' fer ya ta worry yer sweet little' 'ead abou', love."

"Yer cryin'" he told her. "Wot's wrong? Is it Mister Todd? I'll protect ya from 'im, I will. Ya don't need ta worry 'bout nothin.'" He pulled away to look at her tear-stained cheeks, gently wiping away her tears before pressing his lips to hers.

Mrs. Lovett shook her head, covering her eyes with one of her hands as she caressed Toby's cheek with the other. But she couldn't stop the tears that were flowing freely. "Don't be silly, love. Ain't nothin' wrong wit' yer Aunt Nellie. I's fine, I is." When she wiped away some of the thick tears, she saw that he was still watching her, his dark eyes bearing into her own chocolate ones. "I's fine, love. This-this floor is awful 'ard, ain't it? 'Ow's abou' we sleep in me bed till we 'ave ta wake up?"

At the invitation to her bed, Toby brightened. "Ya mean it, mum? I can sleep in yer bed wit' ya all night?"

Biting her lip, she nodded. She forced herself to swallow, fighting back tears.

Gently and lovingly-almost reverently- he pulled his body from hers and rolled next to her before slowly sitting up. He helped her to sit up, letting her clutch the sheet to her chest as she clung to what was left of her dignity, before helping her to her feet. He was elated when she leaned against him, grateful that he was being allowed to support some of her weight as they crept from the parlor, and even more excited that she didn't try to shrug him off when he wrapped one of his arms around her slim waist.

She sat down on her bed, her legs still shaking with the aftermath of her orgasm, before curling under the comforter that was left as Toby stood beside the bed, unsure of how welcome he was. Looking over her shoulder, she pulled down the corner of the blanket, motioning for him to climb in beside her. "Come on, love," she smiled for him. "'S'wrong?"

"Are ya…. Sure? I don't want Mister Todd ta be upset wit' ya," he worried.

She sighed, not wanting to think about Mister Todd at the moment-knowing he'd be upset and that he'd undoubtedly heard her with Toby. "Course I's sure. Come lay wit' me, dear." He climbed into the bed beside her, still looking worried as his eyes flicked to the ceiling where they could hear Sweeney pacing. _Lord, we can't both o' us be worryin'._

Mrs. Lovett looked at Toby, her chocolate, doe eyes searing into his soul. He looked awkward, his forwardness gone now as he stared at her. His fingers kept stretching for her, but he didn't want to upset her, so he kept bringing them back to his own chest in fists.

"Toby?" she breathed.

"Yes, mum?"

"… Hold me?"

He sighed happily before scooting closer to her and wrapping her smaller frame in his arms as she cuddled against him.

She let herself drift off, lulled to sleep by the rhythmic thrumming of Toby's heartbeat as her forehead rested against his chest.


	6. A Child's Love Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She awoke with a pained squawk, a bruising grip closing around her upper arm and ripping her from the warm embrace she'd been sleeping in as it forced her from the bed and threw her to the floor.

She awoke with a pained squawk, a bruising grip closing around her upper arm and ripping her from the warm embrace she'd been sleeping in as it forced her from the bed and threw her to the floor.

"Mister Todd?" she gasped in pain, her eyes opening. "Please, Mr. T, please." She flinched, raising an arm to cover her eyes when he took an angry step towards her with his hand raised.

"Shut your mouth, whore. Keep quiet or I'll kill your precious 'boy' right here in front of you," Sweeney threatened, his voice a low hiss.

She nodded obediently, her chocolate eyes wide. She tried to scrunch up her body, trying to shield her more private parts from him despite knowing full well he'd seen her naked before.

"I need to talk to you. Alone. Get dressed," he ordered coldly, throwing a nightgown at her before striding from the room.

Toby stirred in the bed, suddenly very aware of the coldness beside him now that her body wasn't pressed against his. "Mrs. Lovett?" he grumbled sleepily, wiping his eyes sleepily.

She bit her lip, scared for his safety. Sweeney was violent and unpredictable at the best of times. With the state he was in now, she was terrified for her Tobias.

Her own safety and life she wasn't even worried for. When she'd found out that Sweeney had killed Pirelli and she'd suggested using his customers as meat, she'd known that she'd one day die at his hands. She'd, quite simply, resigned herself to that fact-a task that became considerably easier to do when Sweeney had started 'rumpling her bedding' on a frequent basis. She knew she was getting far too much from the present conditions and that she had a violent end coming to her-it was the way the world worked, an endless cycle of give and take. But she hated to think the same might happen to her poor Tobias. Even in her own mind, she'd proven herself to be wicked and amoral. Not her Toby, though.

 _He's honest and sweet and caring and loyal. He'd never hurt a fly- not even a fly! He certainly don't deserve ta die. Not at the hands o' Sweeney and not cause o' me._

"Go back ta sleep, love," she whispered, pulling her robe on and doing up the tie at her middle. She leaned back on the bed, pressing a soft kiss to his temple before running her fingers through his hair lovingly.

"Where ya goin'?" He was trying to stay awake, but the second her fingers had ghosted over his cheek in a soft caress, he was dozing again. "Stay wit' me…"

"Shhh, love," she cooed, perching on the side of the bed and pulling his head against her chest as she continued running her fingers through his shaggy brown tresses. "I'll be back soon. Go ta sleep, Toby." She rocked him gently, whispering snatches of a lullaby she'd heard him use to sing himself to sleep in the past. "Nothin's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Nothin's gonna harm you, darling, not while I'm around." She hummed quietly, petting his head gently, until she felt his breathing even out as he fell asleep.

She gently extracted herself, piling up the pillows in her place for him to lean against, before she crept into the parlor. "Mister T?" she whispered, her eyes whipping around.

She squeaked in shock when she felt his hands on her neck, closing and teasing her. "Pet, is there something you'd like to tell me?" he practically sang, his voice too sweet.

"Mister T," she gasped, "you don't understand! Please! Mister-I can't-Mis-"

Sweeney released her, pushing her forward so that she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. "What don't I understand, Mrs. Lovett? The fact that the judge could come any day now and you could ruin everything by getting distracted with this bloody _boy_?"

Her hands were at her own throat, gently trying to massage feeling back as she gaped up at him. "Mister- Todd- I really- don't think- that Toby- will 'ave- any effect- on yer plan."

"That's just _it,_ you bloody woman! You don't _think!_ " he seethed, pacing before her angrily.

Her eyes flashed in pain before she was pushing herself to her feet. "You take that back! I think plenty! I was the one what came up wit' the idea ta use people in pies and dispose o' yer bloody victims!"

"Why don't you yell that a little louder, pet? I don't think they quite heard you in _France_!" He looked positively livid.

"I-" she sighed inwardly, looking down at her bare feet. "Yes, Mister Todd."

"Now listen to me, Mrs. Lovett. You have to break off this little affair with the boy. The closer you two get, the more suspicious he'll get. And I promise you, if he figures it out and goes to rat me out, you will _both_ pay."

She looked up at him again, blinking in confusion, "'Ow-"

"Don't test me, pet. You know I can make you both very sorry."

Her features contorted in anger, a fire burning in her eyes, and he smirked. "Do you doubt me, pet? Perhaps I should tell you what I will do?" He stepped closer until she backed herself against the wall.

He pinned her body to the wall with his own, his razor hovering at her throat. She held her head high, closing her eyes. "I'll claim you again, with my friend at your neck the whole time, while I make the boy watch. Then I'll make you kill the boy, make you slit his throat and watch him bleed out. If I didn't have need for you as well, I'd kill you as well. But you have your uses…" He trailed off, his free hand running down her side as he pressed his erection against her thigh meaningfully. "Do you understand, pet?"

It was the threat to her Toby that stung most. The rest all sounded like games they'd played before. In fact, she'd lost count of the times he'd taken her while threatening to slit her throat, of the times he'd blacked her out while pushing into her. He did with her what he pleased, whether it be tying her up or cutting into her. She wasn't worried about that. She was worried for Toby. She didn't want to hurt him, didn't want him to see Sweeney claiming her, and didn't want to have to kill him.

"I asked you if you understood, Mrs. Lovett," he repeated, his fingers suddenly digging into her hips as the razor nicked the skin of her neck.

She bit back tears and nodded once, "Yes, Mister Todd."

"I won't risk him going to the beadle, Mrs. Lovett. We won't have this conversation again. If you don't break up with him, I'll kill him."

A strange thought formed in the back of her mind and worked its way to the forefront of her brain: _Mister Todd is jealous. Jealous because I slept with Toby and invited him into me bed. Mister Todd is_ jealous _._

"Yes, Mister Todd," she nodded again, unable to stop the small smirk that was forming.

He glared at her, almost shocked that she was reacting in this manner. "What are you smirking about, woman?"

She couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "Mister Todd, are ya _jealous_? Is that wot this is abou'? Are ya mad that I slept wit' Toby?"

She regretted it almost instantly. His hand left her hips to grip her hair and force her head back. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The only reason you're still alive, whore, is to keep the plan going smoothly. I don't care who you sleep with, bitch. You're so easily replaceable you don't even know it. Spread your thighs for all of London, pet. I don't care as long as you get rid of the bodies of my customers."

Tears stung her eyes and she wasn't sure if it was because of the pain in her scalp and the bite of the razor at her skin or if it was the fact that Sweeney was once again proving he didn't care about her. The man she'd loved for as long as she could remember didn't care who she slept with. He thought of her as a whore.

She briefly considered telling him that Toby was a better lover-just to anger him-, but decided not to push his buttons, knowing that she was the only factor keeping Toby alive.

"Your _uses_ don't extend much further than accomplice and whore," he snarled, his erection still pressing against her thigh. "Remember that."

Her eyes narrowed in anger and she, again, found words falling from her lips. "I think yer just mad 'cause ya want me and ya can't 'ave me anymore. And ya know wha?" She stood tall, taking a deep breath and puffing out her chest with pride, " _I am a lady_ , Mister T. And ya _'ate_ that I won't jus' let ya use me. Ya want me and ya can't 'ave me and tha' _kills_ you, don't it?"

His fingers were suddenly tight around her throat again and she heard him chuckle. "Mrs. Lovett… I don't care _what_ silly notions the boy has put in your simple. Little. Head. You are what you are. And you, pet, are a whore. Specifically, my whore. When I want you, I'll take you. And you'll _gladly_ take me. And we _both_ know it. You've wanted me to want you since before your fat lard of a husband croaked. _I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you_ ," he hissed in her ear. His free hand was already greedily pulling at the ties of her nightgown.

He had her stripped and on her knees before she'd had time to properly digest the information. He'd threatened her. And Toby. He'd called her a whore, called her _his_ whore. And now he wanted her to suck him off.

Her body took control as her mind withdrew into its own recesses.

She parted her plump lips, taking the tip of him into her mouth as she ran her hands along the rest of his length.

 _Toby. What about Toby?_

She sucked his tip before running her tongue along his length and lavishing his base with kisses. Then, she taken him back between her lips again, more of him then before, as her fingers teased the rest of his shaft and his base.

 _I have to save Toby. How? Tell him I don't love him? Give him money and send him to America and tell Mister Todd that he ran away when I broke his heart?_

His grip tightened painfully in her hair, pulling her closer with a quick movement and forcing his entire length into her hot mouth. She fought her gag reflex, forcing herself to relax those muscles even as she felt him cum in her mouth with a grunt.

He roughly threw her to the floor again, spitting down at her as he did himself up. "You have until nightfall to tell the boy you're threw, whore. After that, I'll tell him." He was grinning maliciously and waving his razor.

She waited until Sweeney had stalked from the room to get up, spitting the hot liquid into the fireplace as she fought the instinct to retch. She wiped feverishly at her mouth with one hand even as she retied the sash of her robe. The back of her left hand was stained red with her lipstick and she wondered dully if that was what they meant by "caught red-handed."

 _Toby won't know. 'Sides, I didn't want to. 'Snot like I did it of me own violation. I did it ta stay alive and keep him alive._

"Toby!" she whispered, shaking him gently. "Toby, love, wake up." She perched next to him, running her fingers through his hair again. "Love, I need ta talk ta ya."

He stirred, his eyes fluttering. "Mum?"

"Love, I need ya ta do somethin' fer me," she began, the fingers of one hand still caressing his cheek as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the other hand.

"Mum! You're cryin'! 'Smatter?" he asked, sitting up and leaning towards her.

"Shhh, quiet, love. I's fine. But I need ya ta listen very closely," she started, praying the plan she'd hatched would work.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to reiterate, my version is based off the Sweeney Todd revival. NOT the movie. That is, Toby is not a small child. Even Mrs. Lovett's assumption of his being about 16 or 20 is wrong, influenced by his childlike dependence on her. The actor, and therefore the character in this case, is roughly mid twenties. It is not, therefore, pedophilia. She calls him a boy and such but he is not ACTUALLY a child. The story is called "A Child's Love" because Toby has a childlike dependence on Mrs. Lovett as well as a childlike naiveté. He is a grown man and fully capable of consenting to sex.

Mrs. Lovett shivered, pulling the leather coat tighter around her and adjusting the scarf she'd wrapped around her head to keep the wind from blowing her hair.

The beach at dusk wasn't the place to be in a skirt as short as hers was; it wasn't something she'd been prepared for as Toby had most of her clothing... Hardly mattered; nothing could be done about it _now_ but find Toby.

"'Cuse me, ma'am? I'm lookin' fer a boy; 'e's bout twenty. Came out 'ere ta rent a 'ouse. Ya seen 'im?" Her fingers wrapped around the woman's forearm, her painted nails digging into tanned flesh.

"Pardon?" the woman asked. Her face was pinched and the setting sun cast an orange glow on what she could only assume was yellow hair.

… Yellow hair. Like _his_ Lucy. ...Hardly seemed fair, really. She'd done everything for her Mr. T and it still wasn't enough. Cause she wasn't _Lucy_ , wouldn't ever _be_ Lucy. … _Precious_ Lucy. _Beautiful_ Lucy... She _hated_ her. _Nothing_ had made her happier than finally being able t-

But none of that mattered now. She had to put Sweeney Todd and Benjamin Barker and that stupid little _snit_ , Lucy Barker out of her mind.

She rolled her eyes, sighing with irritation, "Me boy, me Toby, 'e's a young lad, round twenty. I need to know wot 'ouse 'e's in."

"Ma'am, I d-"

"'E 'ad shaggy brown 'air an' 'e would've 'ad a lot o' luggage wit' 'im. Jus' tell me which 'ouse 'e's in. Please, ma'am?" She toyed with the knot of the scarf, fingering it with her free hand before stuffing her hand in her pocket and pulling out several pounds. "Please? 'Ave ya seen 'im?" She offered it to the blonde, willing to bribe her in her desperation.

"I don't know who or where he is, ma'am. If I did, I would tell you. But a few pounds would hardly be a worthwhile bribe if that's what I was holding out for," the girl giggled, covering her mouth with her left hand.

"I _need_ ta find 'im," she growled, her fingers digging again.

"Ow! What are you _doing_? You can't just _attack_ a person!" the tiny blonde cried, yanking her arm back and stepping backward as she rubbed the mark on her arm that was red from the pressure Mrs. Lovett had applied. "Crazy-"

"Crazy _wot_?" she demanded, almost snarling. Her hand went back to her pocket, fingering the razor hidden there.

"Mum?" a voice breathed lowly behind her.

She spun, her chocolate eyes going wide, "Toby? Love!" She pulled him into her arms, crushing him in her embrace and burying her face against him.

He hugged her back, clutching her tightly and kissing the top of her head, "Mum! Y-Why'd it take ya so long? You were s'pposed ta be 'ere days ago."

"Toby, love," she ignored him, still hugging him tightly, "I thought I'd never _find_ you!"

"I's been comin' down 'ere e'ry night, lookin' fer ya," he told her, his fingers finding their way to the scarf covering her silken locks. "I been waitin', like a good boy, like ya said, mum. I got a 'ouse like ya said, too, mum. By the sea, jus' like ya said." He was still holding her, almost reverently.

"Such a good lad," she smiled up at him, pulling away and tiptoeing to press a kiss to his forehead. She linked her arm with his, beaming proudly, "Where 'sit then, love? Where's this 'ouse ya found us?"

"'S way," he smiled shyly, heat pooling in his cheeks in response, and pointed ahead, leading her onward.

She didn't turn around, didn't _acknowledge_ the girl she'd accosted.

Too much time on Fleet Street, she supposed. Or with Sweeney. If ya can't defend yourself against an attacker, don't mean the attacker's gonna go easy on ya. She'd learned to defend herself fiercely.. It was a lesson that wasn't necessarily easy to _un_ learn.

* * *

"Mum?" Toby asked later, after he'd helped her settle into the house. "Ain't tha' Mister Todd's coat?" He nodded at the long leather coat she'd hung by the door. "'E-That don't mean 'e's gonna come live wit' us, do it? Cause I- mum, I thought we moved ta get away."

She stared at the coat, swallowing thickly. Her eyes narrowed and she ran her tongue over her lips, "Shh, now, Toby, love. Don't ya worry yer sweet littl' 'ead 'bout it. 'E ain't comin' no where near us again, love." She patted the spot beside her on the couch, "Come sit wit' me, now. There we are, tha's a good lad... Toby, 'chu do wit' me needles? I was just thinkin' me dear, sweet Toby needs a nice new scarf... Gets awfully cold 'ere at nigh'."

He scampered away from her feet, returning quickly with her needles and several colors of yarn before sitting at her feet again, leaning his head against her thigh.

" _That's_ my boy," she cooed, running her fingers through his chestnut hair. "Wha' color ya want, love? Blue ta match tha sea?" She started digging through the basket of yarn, inspecting colors and comparing them to Toby's hair.

He nodded, his fingers playing at the strap of her shoe. "Tha' sounds nice, mum," he mumbled before pressing a soft kiss to her knee.

Mrs. Lovett looked down at him, fixing him with an odd look. "Love, wot's wrong? Ya seem upset," she whispered, softly running her fingers through his hair again.

"I just missed ya," Toby looked away, feeling foolish.

"Aww; such a sweet child it is," she pursed her lips, ruffling his hair fondly. When he didn't react, she put the basket on the floor beside her chair before running her cool fingers along his cheek and tilting his face in her direction. "Is there something else, love?"

"... An' I was worried 'bou' ya," he admitted, pulling away and burying his face in her lap. He clutched her legs tightly... Protectively.

"Shh, shh, shh..." she soothed, teasing his hair in and out of place. "I'm 'ere, love. No need ta fret. Yer Aunt Nellie's righ' 'ere..."

He leaned up, suddenly pressing a kiss to her plump lips, his mouth swallowing her small squeak of surprise.

"Tob-" she started, pulling away.

"I was so worried, mum," he repeated, his eyes looking sad, before he pressed another kiss to her lips. His fingers tangled in her raven locks, pulling her closer until she slid out of the chair and into his lap, his arms instinctively wrapping around her. He broke the kiss, burying his face against her neck and leaving light kisses there, "...so worried..."

She swallowed thickly, her eyelids fluttering in response to the slow movements of his lips against her throat. "T-Toby. It-I'm _fine_ , love. N-now st-" her voice trailed off, a light moan escaping her as her head lolled back. Her eyelids fluttered, her voice catching in her throat, as she silently shifted in his lap until she'd worked her panties from her hips and slid them off.

"Mum?" he asked, watching her in confusion as she breathlessly guided his hand beneath her skirt and between her thighs.

"Shh, now, Toby," she breathed, her voice forced. Bliss played across her features briefly as she pressed his fingers against that _burning_ between her thighs. She let out a series quick breaths, moving one leg to his other side so she was seated on his lap and facing him. Leaning in, she let her plump lips brush lightly over Tobias', her left hand moving between them and quickly guiding his length out of his pajama pants.

"... I love you, mum," he whispered, watching her closely and _praying_ she'd say it back... _To him_ this time.

"Shh, shh, shh," she soothed, pressing another light kiss to his lips as she worked him with her fingers- squeezing and caressing and teasing.

Toby made a choked noise of pleasure, burying his face against her neck. " _Mum... Mum, I love you._ "

" _Tha's a good lad,_ " she murmured, shifting in his lap again until she slipped his length into her. " _Shh, good lad- sweet Toby._ " She guided his hand from her thigh to the hem of hem of her knit top before pulling at her jacket, tossing it behind her and to the couch.

He looked up at her, blinking innocently, "Mum, can't ya say ya love me?"

She cupped his cheeks, kissing him and closing her eyes before kissing along his jawline to his ear, " _Le' me say it with me body, hmm?_ "

He nodded, closing his eyes and trying not to cry. "B-but ya do, don't ya?"

" _Mmnm.. Toby,_ " she groaned softly, riding him. She latched on to his neck, sucking hard as she tried to guide his hands to the hem of her top again. "C'mon, love."

He obediently pulled the knit top over her head before his fingers clumsily worked the hooks of her corset, his mouth dipping down to tease a rosy bud as the corset fell open to expose her.

She moaned encouragingly, tilting her head back and riding him harder, " _O—oh... Toby..._ "

" _I love ya,_ " he whispered.

She didn't answer, breathing thickly and using his shoulders to ballast herself. Watching her carefully, he stopped for a moment before rolling them over so she was on her back.

"Toby?" she squawked, her eyes wide. He kissed her neck lightly, one hand exploring her breast as the other held his weight off her. She sighed her complaint, bucking her hips hard, "Toby, love, 'cha doin'?" She slid an arm around him, running her red nails from his lower back and up under his shirt.

"I wanna make ya _feel_ good," he whispered, kissing down her neck and to her breast again, pulling out of her. "I wanna kiss ya everywhere. Yer so _beautiful,_ mum."

She groaned, her eyes closing and body tensing in anticipation as he kissed down her stomach, " _Oh, love..._ "

He pressed delicate, little kisses over her stomach before switching to her thigh just below where the fabric was bunched around her hips.

She exhaled when he bypassed what she'd thought was her intended mark, reaching for his hand, "L- _Toby, love. Touch me._ " He distractedly let her guide his hand between her thighs as he continued pressed kisses along her skin. She moaned again at the feel of his fingers along her, he looking up.

"Mum?"

He didn't know what he was doing. Of course he wouldn't think to...

"Toby, can ya do somethin' fer me, love?" she asked breathlessly, her chest heaving with thick pants.

" _Anything_ ," he answered seriously, nodding eagerly.

She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing his fingers against her, " _Can ya kiss me here?_ " She opened her eyes to see his brow furrowed in confusion but he obediently moved back up her body, one hand resting on her thigh and the other's fingers buried in her. He pressed a light kiss above where his fingers were, her body tensing again.

"Jus' tha'?" he murmured against her, starting to pull away.

She let out a bereft whimper, her fingers tangling in his hair and holding him there, " _Oh, G- please, Toby..._ "

"Wha' do I do?" he asked, his lips brushing against her.

She panted, letting out an impatient whine- Mr. T knew how to do this, even if he never would for _her._ "J-just lick, Toby. Lick and-and kiss and _suck,_ " she instructed, her voice forced as he began doing what she'd ordered. Whimpering, she curled her legs so her feet were resting at his back, " _Oh, Toby...oh- f- bloody 'ell- oh..._ "

Her hips rocked up, her voice catching, when his mouth found her clit, his lips closing around it as he started sucking the way he had at her breasts.

She squeaked, her back arching, "Y-yes- tha's- _oh, Toby, love..._ "

"Like tha', mum?" he murmured.

She nodded, whimpering again, "Y- _yes, Toby. Jus' like tha'._ " Crooning, she closed her thighs around his ears, her back arching. " _Oh! Toby! Y- mnnmm.._ " He ran his tongue along her before sucking purposefully again, petting her thigh. " _Uhh- up!_ " she whined, pulling at his shoulder. " _I wan' ya inside, Toby, love._ " She pulled at him, "Proper-like, love."

" _I love ya,_ " he told her again, moving up her body. He kissed her neck, obediently slipping into her.

She rocked her hips up, flipping them over so she was on top. " _Mmm.. Tha's it, Toby. Just- just-_ " She nodded, kissing him hungrily.

"Mrs. Lovett- mum-" he started, trying to pull away. "Mum, don't ya love me?"

… Not the way he wanted her to. She loved her Mr. T but she'd given him up... Not that she'd had much choice.

" _Shh, lad. Jus' kiss me,_ " she instructed. She dragged his mouth back to hers, riding him harder. " _Mmm.. love. Y-yes. That's it._ " She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to remember her Sweeney. " _Tha's- oh... Are ya close, love?_ "

"I jus' wanna make ya happy," he whispered.

She shook her head, raising her hand to cover his mouth, " _Shh, pet. Jus'- jus'- cum fer me, love._ " She moaned, shuddering and throwing her head back. " _Y-yes!_ _Oh! Aahh-_ "

 _Mr. T._

" _I love ya, Mrs. Lovett,_ " he repeated against her hand, curling his fingers around her wrist and pulling it away from his mouth so he could kiss her again.

" _I love ya,_ " she moaned, falling against him as she climaxed around him, he following after in ecstasy.

He pet her hair, hugging her to him, "... Ya wan' me ta carry ya ta the bed, mum?"

She nodded but didn't move to pull away, "Jus' lay wit' me, love."

"In tha bed?" he asked. "It's jus' the floor is awful hard. I don' wan' ya ta hurt yer back."

She reached lazily, covering his mouth again, " _Shh..._ I'm not as young as you; I need a min'te ta catch me breath."

He combed his fingers through her hair, "Yes'm."

" _That's a good lad,_ " she murmured approvingly, petting his head as she nuzzled against his shoulder.

"... Mum?"

"Hmm?" she managed, her eyelids feeling heavy.

She worked _much_ too hard. A nap would be _lovely_.

"... Why's Mr. Todd's coat by the door?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "... I don't wanna talk abou' it, love. Jus' le' me rest."

She didn't want to _remember._


End file.
